ASTORIA MAN CONVICTED OF MURDERING FDNY EMS LIEUTENANT IN SEPTEMBER 2022

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Peter Zisopoulos was convicted at trial of murder in the second degree and weapon possession for the vicious knife attack that claimed the life of Lieutenant Alison Russo, a 24-year veteran of the FDNY EMS. The victim was posthumously promoted to captain. The unprovoked attack occurred just…

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CORONA MAN INDICTED FOR FIRST-DEGREE MURDER FOR FATAL STABBING OF BICYCLIST

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Nelson Torres was indicted by a grand jury and charged with murder in the first degree for the death of 22-year-old Anderson David Archila Martinez after the two encountered each other on a Corona sidewalk on April 14. The victim rode his bicycle near Torres and inadvertently…

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THREE CHARGED IN 2019 STABBING DEATH OF 17-YEAR-OLD IN SOUTH JAMAICA

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Tianna Benjamin, Charles Gillespie and Kyra Tyrell have been indicted by a grand jury and charged with murder, weapon possession and conspiracy in the November 2019 stabbing death of 17-year-old Talasia Cuffie. The victim attended a memorial basketball game being held in honor of Aamir Griffin, a…

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QUEENS MAN INDICTED AND IN CUSTODY FOR 2021 FATAL GUNPOINT ROBBERY IN ASTORIA

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Jordan Hannah, an FDNY EMT, was indicted by a grand jury and arraigned on first-degree murder and other charges for the fatal gunpoint robbery of 22-year-old Kyle Griffin in April 2021. Griffin was seated in his white Range Rover near the corner of 41st Street and 30th…

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TENANT CHARGED WITH MURDER OF BUILDING SUPERINTENDENT WHO WAS TRYING TO COLLECT UNPAID RENT

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Sandra Coto-Navarro has been charged with murder for allegedly killing her building’s superintendent, 55-year-old Jose Portillo, inside her apartment in Kew Gardens Hills. The victim reportedly entered the defendant’s apartment around 8:40 a.m. Tuesday to collect unpaid rent on behalf of the landlord. The super’s coworkers called the…

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ADVANCED DNA TESTING REVEALS IDENTITY OF VICTIM KILLED 33 YEARS AGO

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that a female homicide victim, whose identity remained unknown for more than three decades, has now been identified as Judy Rodriguez by using advanced DNA testing. Rodriguez’s unidentified body, bound at the ankles with a cord and covered with a large wooden board, was discovered on August 25, 1991,…

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QUEENS MAN SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR MURDER, SEX ASSAULT

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Quiming Wan was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the November 2021 murder and sexual abuse of Jiaomei Zhou, a 29-year-old woman whose body he carried from his apartment before being stopped by building residents. A jury convicted the defendant following an October trial. District…

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QUEENS MAN CONVICTED OF MURDER FOR KILLING 29-YEAR-OLD WOMAN IN HIS FLUSHING APARTMENT

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Quiming Wan has been convicted by a jury of murder, sexual abuse and related charges for the November 2021 death of 29-year-old Jiaomei Zhou, whose body he carried from his apartment to the building lobby before being interrupted by other residents. District Attorney Katz said: “This defendant brutally…

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REPUTED GANG MEMBER CHARGED WITH MURDER OF TEEN OUTSIDE FAST-FOOD RESTAURANT IN SPRINGFIELD GARDENS

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Rayvon Phillip, 18, has been charged with murder for allegedly firing multiple gunshots at a car, killing 18-year-old Akim Cisse, outside a fast-food restaurant on September 27 along South Conduit Avenue in Springfield Gardens. District Attorney Katz said, “My office is committed to the prosecution and conviction…

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